Genesis
by tamhalliwell
Summary: Several years have passed since the events in the clearing. Amid Renesmee reaching feel maturity and beginning to navigate her newfound romantic feelings towards her best friend and werewolf, Jacob Black, strange events are also taking place in Forks. What are the Cullens up against, and how will Renesmee handle what no one ever told her?


**Impetus**

**Renesmee**

The herd still wasn't close enough for my liking. My throat scorched restlessly as I watched the buck at the front of the herd venture forward to drink from the speeding river. I eyed the river with distaste; I didn't want to get my clothes wet this time. The thought made me smile—Alice and Rosalie would be proud. Jacob nudged my shoulder with his nose softly, impatiently. He was hungry. I promised him this morning that after he finished running rounds with Leah and Seth that we'd go hunting. I rolled my eyes playfully as I stretched my arm back and placed my hand between Jacob's ears. After a few moments, he let out his loud, barking laugh. A small smile played around my mouth. I knew he'd find my aversion to getting my clothes dirty amusing. I turned to look at him, my eyes locking with only one of his as he continued to laugh—as much as a wolf can laugh that is. Lately it seemed as if the way Jacob looked at me with that big, deep brown eye was different. Or, maybe it was that _I _felt different when he looked at me with that eye. He stopped laughing although the staring continued and I felt my heartbeat speed up. I'm sure he could hear it too.

Jacob Black has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Seven years exactly as of today, September 11th—my birthday. His face is one of the first that I can remember. Suddenly, I was overcome with an urge to place my hand back between Jacob's ears, to communicate to him everything new that I was feeling; feelings that I still couldn't put a name to. But I didn't, and this surprised me. Why didn't I? I'd never been hesitant, or in this case, embarrassed, to tell Jake something before. But today, I was.

The sound of hooves sloshing through icy water broke me out of my reverie. I looked back towards the river and watched as the last members of the herd finished crossing. I sighed. I guess all of the new feelings would have to wait.

As subtly as I could manage, I slowly arranged my body into a hunting position, knowing I only had seconds until Jake noticed and caught on to my game. I darted forward the moment Jakes' eye swiveled over to me and launched myself full throttle towards the largest member of the herd, the buck. Since childhood, Jake and I have had an ongoing competition of who can take down the biggest kill. It made this vegetarian lifestyle easier to bear. I had an inkling that my undefeated winning streak in always getting the best kill was only because Jacob was giving me what I wanted, but for some reason, that was starting not to bother me so much.

Usually Jake and I would race back home to prove who was fastest, but this time I opted for the ride on his back. I was grateful that he wasn't able to see the blush painted across my cheeks because there was no doubt that if he did, he'd ask me what was wrong. I hated that I always gave my feelings away like that. Dad says I'm like my mother in that way, back when she was human.

As we approached the big white house, I immediately spotted all of the decorations that my family had put up. I smirked; now I knew why Rosalie and Alice practically tossed me out of the house. Jake made his way to the back porch and lowered himself closer to the ground so I could more easily slide off of his back.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked with one foot on the first step of the porch stairs.

His huge wolf head nodded once, then he trotted off into the trees to phase.

The entire house was covered in confetti, paper machete flowers, and balloons of varying shades of purple—my favorite color. The vast dining table no one but I and Jacob ever ate at was covered with a peony colored tablecloth that had a pile of birthday gifts as a centerpiece.

"Happy Birthday!" My family said in unison.

My grandmother, Esme, was nearest to me and wrapped her arms around me tenderly, Carlisle at her side. Rose stood to the other side of me with Emmett, who was as always guffawing at the blush that was quickly making itself known on my face.

"I guess some things just never change." Emmett bellowed through fits of laughter, looking from me to my mother, Bella.

Mom's smiled as she shook her head from side to side at Emmett.

"Here Nessie, open your gifts!" Alice chimed excitedly, eagerly shoving a few silver wrapped boxes into my empty hands. More clothes, no doubt.

I really didn't like surprises but I would bear this for Alice's sake. I gingerly unwrapped the gifts, Alice telling me what was from who as I went. Clothes galore from Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, books and a new set of fiber paintbrushes from Carlisle and Esme and a leather-bound sketchbook with my name embossed on the bottom-right corner in gold lettering from my parents.

"There are more pages in this one. Maybe that'll prevent you from going through it as fast. Or not." My father said, smiling his half-smile.

"Thank you for the gifts, all of you. I love them."

Alternating choruses of I-love-you's rained out, the presence of love undeniable.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob, Seth, and Leah making their way towards the house through the glass that engulfed the entire backside of the house. I suppressed my smile because I could feel the eight pairs of amber eyes watching me. There was no way to suppress the immense joy that was radiating out of me with Jasper around. Lately my family had been keeping a close eye on Jacob and I, rarely letting us be alone together. Or should I say, my father, Edward, seemed to always turn up wherever Jacob and I were when no one else was around. Several times I've caught glimpses of dad grimacing while Alice's facial expression indicated that she was far off somewhere, mentally that is, obviously seeing something that he preferred to have not been privy to.

At that moment Jacob made his way towards me. I felt the blood color my face, and the newfound butterflies did loops and swirls in the deepest part of my stomach. I turned away quickly, pretending to be interested in the intricate design of one of the sweaters Rosalie and Emmett had picked out for me.

Jake held his large hand out, offering me a small, pale lavender gift box. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I knew exactly what object had made a home inside this tiny box and every year, on every birthday, I looked forward to unearthing the next one. Eagerly but trying very hard not to show it, I accepted the small box and started to untie the thin string wrapped around it for safekeeping. I don't think my attempt to hide my eagerness fooled Jacob much but that was nothing new. I felt his eyes watching for my reaction as I unveiled the coveted gift. I forced myself to focus on the task at hand, so I didn't get lost in my thoughts. I pulled the lid off of the box and set it down on the dining room table before continuing to softly flick aside the pale pink tissue paper. Embedded in the center of the box in a bed of cotton was a small, intricately carved charm. A charm that depicted a reddish-brown wolf curled in a ball and the figurine of a young girl cradling it's massive head in the crook of her arms. I smiled. This charm showed a moment that Jake and I experienced often. Sometimes, to get away from Rosalie and Alice's mock dress rehearsals, Carlisle's lessons and eight pairs of watching eyes, Jake and I would make our way to a meadow buried deep, deep in the forest. It was one of my favorite places to go. Jake and I would sit, me leaning against one of the tree trunks with his large head in my arms while I'd entwine the meadow's wildflowers in his long, shaggy hair.

I was doing it again, getting lost in my thoughts. Suddenly I was all too aware of those eight pairs of eyes on me again. I quickly tore my eyes away from the charm and locked eyes with Jacob, which didn't really help with my remain-in-the-present mission.

"Thanks, Jake. I love it." I said, eager to fill the silence that I had let linger.

"Anytime Ness. Here, let me help you put it on."

His large hands reached out, one holding my arm steady while the other very gently picked up the tiny charm between two fingertips. I stifled a giggle at at how careful he had to be, how easy it would have been for him to apply a bit too much pressure and smash the gorgeous little thing into splinters.

With a deftness that Jake only could've picked up from being a werewolf, he quickly attached the charm to an empty loop on my bracelet, the same bracelet he'd given me years ago when we'd spent Christmas day at Grandpa Charlie's house. Now there were several charms in total. Giggling, I shook my wrist to hear the knocking sound the tiny wooden figures made when they hit against one another. Jake beamed down at me like he always did.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as my parents shared a peculiar look with Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper. That had been happening a lot lately, and I was starting to wonder whether there was something that no one was telling me.

"Time for cake!" Alice sang, disappearing suddenly and reappearing in the mouth of the vast kitchen a moment later. Everyone laughed except dad, who rolled his eyes and said, "Alice will be Alice."

Esme and Rosalie, with the help of Alice's decoration and color coordination expertise, prepared a beautiful birthday cake for me. So beautiful that I thought about using that as an excuse not to eat it. Human food still wasn't very appealing to me; I preferred blood. I was still able to remember the delicious, thirst-quenching taste of the donated blood I had been given as a child. I didn't get that anymore. I had since been inducted into my family's vegetarian lifestyle. The thought made me slightly grimace, but truly I had no qualms about it. I loved humans: Jake, Charlie, Sue, Billy, Seth, Leah, Sam, Emily. I couldn't imagine taking anyone's life to satiate my own desires.

Not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings, I took a huge bite out of the thick pink cake, grimacing internally as the sugar hit my tongue. Jake turned his head away from everyone to muffle his chortles, and I glared at him vehemently, my mouth full of frosting. Still laughing, he slyly pulled my small dessert plate towards him and finished off the large remaining portion of the cake for me. I sighed in relief; there was no way I would've been able to finish all of it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leah slowly picking at her slice of cake with her fork, her eyes flickering back and forth from the cake to my family. Even after all these years, Leah still had some reservations about being surrounded by so many vampires. I was grateful that she had come at all. Somehow, we had managed to become friends. Maybe that was inevitable since we were smushed together in situations so much—her being Jake's beta and me being Jake's best friend and all. At that moment, she caught me watching her, and a small smile played across her lips. I returned it happily.

"Alice? Alice?"

Swiveling around, I saw my mom staring anxiously at Alice's frozen, faraway face. A face that I had come to know the meaning of—she saw something, something that would come soon. Suddenly dad stiffened, his body going rigid as his eyes also took on a far away expression. Then Alice's face came back to the present, her eyes snapping to my face and away so fast that I wasn't sure if it had actually happened at all.

"I hope you liked the cake Ness!" Alice sang, popping up from her seat. "The recipe took _forever_ to perfect. If Esme hadn't helped me, I don't know _what _it would've turned out like—" Alice continued, obviously trying to take the attention away from herself. She babbled on at top speed while flickering around the room to pick up everyone's plate, whether they were done or not. Seth was just about to shove another forkful of cake into his mouth before Alice swiftly took his dessert from him. The party was over.

"Yeah, it was great. Thanks, Alice."

I looked at Jacob then and saw that the same curiosity that was on my face also reflected in his. Our eyes locked, and I knew that we would have a conversation about it later.

The daylight hours passed quickly. I was seated on the first step of the porch watching the sun start to fade behind the tall tips of the forest trees. A few moments later, Jake plopped down next to me, the russet skin of his arm brushing against my alabaster. The sensation sent a thrill through my body. Afraid that he would notice, I quickly distracted him with a conversation.

"Do you think Alice saw something earlier?"

"Alice was _definitely_ seeing something. I'd know that face anywhere."

I frowned. Alice usually shared what she saw right then and there when she had one of her visions. Why was this time any different? Jacob noticed the indent that was deepening itself between my forehead. He laughed.

"What?" I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"It's nothing," he chortled, "You just look so much like your mom when you make that face."

I smiled. Jake and my dad were continually commenting on the behavioral similarities between my mother and me.

"Don't worry Ness. If what Alice saw was a big deal she would've shared it with us."

As soon as the words were out of Jake's mouth, the worried dent that was on my forehead transferred to his. For whatever reason, his first inclination was always to comfort me, even if he wasn't quite comforted himself. His discomfort bothered me.

"You're right. I'm sure it's nothing."

Reaching out, I slipped my hand through his.

Jake and I spent the next few hours talking and watching the sun go down, waiting for my parents to emerge from the big house so we could all walk to the cottage together—a routine that has become ritualistic for as long as I can remember.

Finally, I could hear my parents' voices as well as Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie's. We would go soon. In a way I was relieved; I wasn't completely sold on Jake's pretense that Alice's vision hadn't been anything serious. If it wasn't serious, then why hadn't she, or anyone else for that matter, come out and told us what she had seen?

Jake and I got to our feet, and the sight of our intertwined hands sent blood rushing to my cheeks. At that exact moment, I felt a pair of eyes boring into me; my fathers, and Alice's. Alice turned her gaze away from me to focus it on my dad, her eyes conveying messages to him that no one but the two of them could understand. My grip on Jake's hand tightened; something _was_ going on. Something that apparently no one was going to tell me. My mom stepped forward to walk towards Jacob and me, her usual small smile etched across her mouth.

"Did you have a good birthday?" She asked, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"I did. It was perfect." I smiled up at her, touching my hand to her cheek to prove my point.

My father approached, leaning in slightly to better "listen" to the images I was sharing with mom.

We all started walking down the porch steps and into the forest, towards the cottage. Jake wound his fingers through mine as we walked, and I saw the quickest flicker of eyes from my parents.

"How's Emily doing?" Bella asked, looking eagerly towards Jacob.

"She's fine. Gets bigger and bigger every time I see her."

Bella rolled her eyes playfully.

"I heard pregnancy does that."

Dad smiled faintly, the slightest hint of pain glinting in his golden eyes.

"Yeah," Jacob replied, "I still can't believe her and Sam are gonna have a baby."

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine. Babies are life-changing, after all." Bella said, smiling over at me.

My early memories of my mother swam through my head; hearing her caressing voice while I was in her womb, the look of love on her face as her eyes met mine for the first time.

Even though I had an extremely accelerated childhood, Rosalie and Alice had managed to put together multiple baby albums that seemed to span over years rather than just a few weeks. I still had the same long, chestnut brown ringlets that I had during childhood; my mother couldn't bear to cut them, not that Alice would have even allowed it.

Carlisle has measured my growth throughout my entire lifespan so far. By my sixth year of life, a growth spurt surged forward for a straight week and then halted abruptly; a circumstance that I think frightened my family a bit. Within the surge my hair lengthened considerably, I gained about 3-4 inches in height, leaving me at roughly 5'4 inches in height and my face lost most of its' roundness, leaving me with an oval, heart-shaped faced instead. Over the years Alice has learned how to "see around" Jacob and I, as well as the other werewolves, and she realized that she is able to access different "lenses" of her vision. The werewolf legends aren't the only theories that proved to be true; the theory that vampiric gifts strengthen over time proved to be true as well. Dad can hear the thoughts of others over even greater distances than before, and mom can shield people at great lengths and also physically repel offensive approaches. Carlisle had always thought, among other members of the family that my gift was especially interesting. He thought that I was doing an inverted version of what my father can do and, eventually, it was evident that I also do an inverted version of what my mother can do. My mother can keep anyone out and, I can pull almost anyone in. While my father can hear the thoughts of others, I'm able to show others an irrefutable truth, with what used to be only physical contact. Now, although only at a short distance, and only with direct eye contact, I can show people my thoughts and experiences in that way as well. They all think it's fascinating, and Carlisle believes that I can do even more as well, although nothing more has manifested as of the last two years or so.

In the distance, nestled in a small clearing that was currently overgrown with wildflowers and various coniferous plants lied our tiny stone cottage. It sat still, perfect, awaiting our arrival in the lavender gray moonlight. It was home.

"I'll see you guys later. Wolf duty calls." Jake said, stretching his arms before leaning in to kiss the top of my head like he usually did.

He must have seen the pout making it's way onto my mouth because he chuckled and said, "I'll be back later. Don't worry Ness."

He took a step forward to kiss Bella's head and punch Edward lightly on the arm. Turning on his heel, he took off running into the deepest, blackest part of the forest, pulling his gray t-shirt over his head as he went.

I lay in my bed buried underneath the thick duvet Esme had chosen for my bed. I had the covers pulled to my neck, waiting patiently for my father to check on me for the last time tonight. He usually poked his head into my room once or twice during the night to check on me. The first check happened about an hour or so ago, and I could tell from the sounds of the forest coming through my open window that it was close to midnight. So that meant that the second and final check should be coming around anytime now.

Just as I suspected, I heard the slightest whoosh of my door as my father opened it silently and peered around the doorframe to make sure I was where I was supposed to be. I struggled to prevent my mouth from pulling up into a half-grin. A few seconds went by before I heard another gentle whoosh as the door closed. I waited a few minutes, listening. I could hear footsteps, a conversation that was too far along between my parents for me to be able to decipher the meaning of, the soft and persistent hoot of the barn owl that liked to sit in the large tree closest to the front door of the cottage. I decided to make my move.

Swiftly I pushed back the duvet and walked across the beach colored wood flooring of my bedroom to put on my boots. Once they were on, I crept back to my bed and climbed over it to the medium-sized, round window embedded in the wall. The window sill opened quite easily; I opened this window almost every night so I could listen out for Jake. Most times, he would approach the window in wolf form and rest his head on the window sill; he was tall enough to do that. I'd run my fingers through his shaggy, red-brown fur and he'd make that sound that was almost like the purr of a content cat but not quite the same. There was something more animalistic, wild, about that sound that Jake made. That was how I usually fell asleep.

With extreme dexterity I kicked a leg out and over the window sill and quickly swung my other leg over behind it. Once I was outside, I reached back into the room to close the window almost but not entirely. I always left it open just the tiniest amount so I wouldn't have to use an alternate, more risky way of getting back into my bedroom. I'd never been caught before.

I set out. I'm not too sure why I picked tonight of all nights to go out. I decided that I would just find Jake. I hesitated a bit when I realized that he might be disapproving of me being out this late at night unaccompanied. When it came to protectiveness, Jake was neck and neck with my father.

As I walked I thought about the lessons I had a few days ago with Carlisle and my father. Carlisle was very intrigued by the idea of further developing my gift. Or my gifts, since he thought I possessed more than one. Carlisle has been wondering, much to the interest of my other family members, Jacob especially, if I was able to make anyone see_ anything_ I wanted them to see, not just the things that actually took place. While Carlisle's fascination remained steadfast, my parents and Rosalie worried that further development of my gift would bring unwanted attention to me, if anyone were to find out my capabilities. I was already a specific topic of interest among the vampire world due to the fact that I was a half-breed, a topic that was of great interest and concern to the Volturi. I still faintly remembered the Volturi; skin like then thinnest of paper, clouded ruby eyes, the assumed regality with which they carried themselves. We hadn't received a visit from the Volturi in years although we have received a letter or two, letters regarding the health of the Cullen clan, mine especially.

As I was walking through the dense forest and bracken, I became aware of a creeping sense growing inside me, a sense to protect myself. I stopped cold, listening intently. I heard nothing, but I absolutely sensed something. Jacob? No, it couldn't be Jacob. I would have been able to hear the twigs and leaves being crushed underneath his massive paws. But it couldn't be Jacob because he would make it known if he was approaching me. He would never want to scare me.

I felt my hummingbird heartbeat speed up suddenly. I was being watched. I wasn't sure what I should do. Should I run? I didn't want to run. I didn't want to lead whoever it was towards my family, or Jacob and the other wolves. I inhaled deeply and my panic intensified when I realized that I didn't recognize the scent. The urge to turn and protect my back pulled itself up to its full height inside me, becoming unbearable. The feeling rose into my throat and caused a hiss to shoot through my mouth, in perfect synchronization with the body that was suddenly hurtling towards me from the left. I darted forward, racing in the opposite direction of the main house. I felt the branches and leaves delicately trace across my skin as I darted through the forest with reckless abandon. I had to get away from here. I had to protect my family.

At that exact moment, I became aware of the fact that another body was hurtling towards me. Relief flooded over me, replacing the panic with a sense of safety. This scent I recognized.

So swiftly that anyone watching would've thought we had rehearsed it beforehand, Jacob darted past me just as I kicked my left leg over his back and locked my hands into the fur on his neck. Our bodies became one as he sped off in the direction of the house with me clinging to his back. He was snarling loudly, aggressively, his paws hitting and leaving the ground so fast that he was practically flying. I threw myself down flat onto Jacob's back, turning my head so I could peer behind me. Leah and Seth were running close on Jake's flanks, and further back I could hear more pounding of wolf feet. As we passed through thinner patches of the forest, I caught glimpses of chocolate brown fur, spotted gray fur and deepest black fur. Embry, Quil, and Sam then. Why so many?

"RENESMEE!"

My head whipped around, the sound of my name bringing me out of my thoughts and back into the moment. My eyes locked with my mother's; she was hurtling through the forest on Jacob's left, and my father was on his right, both a bit ahead of Leah and Seth. Both of their eyes were locked on me, and with everyone in this formation there was no way anyone would be able to attack me without having to go through a bevy of protectors.

My mother's eyes never left me; I'd never seen so much panic residing in them. My father's face was fierce; his mouth smashed into a tight, grim line. The face he made when war would soon pour out of his mouth.

More and more glimmers of moonlight were starting to pool on the forest floor. We were approaching the house; I could see the outline of the third floor solidly there in the distance. As we gained towards it I could see Alice, Rosalie, and Esme standing in the wide backyard, spaced equal lengths apart and crouched in defensive positions.

"Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper are running the perimeter, looking for any trail that was left behind." Edward growled, his words coming out so quickly that I wasn't sure if the wolves would be able to register it or not.

My mom didn't answer. She was still running but staring straight ahead, her eyes impossibly focused and her fists clenched so tightly that if she were human, she would have broken through the skin. She was projecting her shield now, dead set on protecting me.

A few paces behind us I could hear more than one someone speeding through the forest, and my heartbeat quickened, the panic making a vicious comeback.

"It's just Emmett." My father said, still fierce but some intention of comfort leaking into his voice. I leaned back into Jacob's back, letting the speed and wind blow away the tension in my body.

We hurtled to a stop suddenly, Jacob dropping his back legs so I'd slide off of his back. As I slid, he curled himself protectively around the perimeter of my body, covering my back. His teeth bared, and his eyes were scanning the lining of the forest.

"Emmett, Alice, get Renesmee inside. Do _not_ leave her alone." Edward spit through his teeth at the same moment that he spun on his heel to dart back into the forest.

"_Stop._" The word rang with such finality, such irrefutable direction that no one dared move. Bella was staring east towards the forest, her eyes locked in a dead stare and her lips slowly pulling back over her teeth.

In the fringe of a few sparse trees stood a woman with a curtain of chestnut hair. She stood with her feet spaced apart, a stance that indicated she was ready to act at a moment's notice, and her ruby eyes locked onto my family. No, not on my family. On me.

Suddenly I was being tucked into muscle-banded arms, Emmett's arms like a football and being rushed through the back door of the house. Rose was right behind him as he hustled me through, but her back was turned to me, her focus zeroed in on the intruder. Her arms spread wide as if she was ready to stop anyone who approached us. The rest of my family, my parents at the forefront, also had their backs turned to me, spaced out among the lawn, all crouched and teeth bared.

Then the stranger did something no one expected. She turned and darted away. Esme's quiet gasp was exclamation enough for the shock we all were experiencing. Why did she run? Did she have accomplices? What did she want?

None of my family wanted to wait for the answers. They all turned and ran back into the house, surrounding me; all except for my mother. She retreated slowest, her face maintaining that focused look. She hadn't dropped her shield this entire time. This was the longest she had ever held it.

She closed the door, not bothering to lock it. A locked door wouldn't deter anyone of our kind who wanted to impose upon us. The room was absolutely silent, and I couldn't read minds, but I knew we were all thinking the same question. Who had come, and why?


End file.
